One more hint, in addition to the excellent information below. At
familysearch.org, you can find births, marriages and deaths via their igi search.
The baptisms (christenings?) in the igi often correlate with the free bmd,
as do some of the marriages and deaths in other files at familysearch.org.
Not ALWAYS exactly the same, but I've been able to find a lot of my
family that way.

Could someone please explain to me how I may see the record that is marked
in these indexes? I see names that should probably belong in my family,
but
I cannot access the record.

Unfortunately this is only an index and the only way to obtain the
information from it is to buy a certificate at £7.00 a throw, hoping we
have the
correct one!

FreeBMD is an index, being compiled by volunteers, of the original indexes

held by the General Register Office which are used for ordering
certificates. This is from 1837. Prior to that parish records are
required. See
the General Register Office site below. Do not order certificates from
any
other site as this is the cheapest method and can be ordered online.

UKBMD lists more voluntary indexes being compiled from the Register
Offices
themselves in some areas of England and Wales, and certificates can be
ordered from a downloaded form. BUT you cannot order from a local
register
office using the General Register Office index of Quarter, District,
Volume
and Page as local register offices do not store information in this way.
However, local register offices can be very helpful rather than the
impersonal
system of the General Register Office.

Another good site for information relating to searching in the UK is -